Understanding and Supporting Financially-Constrained Aspiring Entrepreneurs' Entrepreneurial Transitions

Abstract

Entrepreneurship is perceived as a promising path to financial stability, especially for those with financial constraints. Still, the transition to entrepreneurship is not easy. Financially-constrained aspiring entrepreneurs, many of whom are racial minorities, must overcome many challenges to achieve their goals. This includes obtaining access to mentorship, financial capital, and digital support for their businesses. In my dissertation, I examine how existing sociotechnical interventions, including social media and communitybased- organization (CBO)-supported interventions, can support their entrepreneurial transitions, especially as a provision of informational and emotional support. Early findings from my dissertation research suggest that CBO-supported peer group interventions provide a source of informational and emotional support, helping financially-constrained aspiring entrepreneurs make progress toward their goals and overcome setbacks. In my dissertation, I aim to unpack the factors that contribute to the success of such groups and contribute design opportunities for sociotechnical interventions to better support financially-constrained aspiring entrepreneurs' work-role transition processes.